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Another reason why the IoT may not be that good an idea ...


jaclaz

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Here's something apropos that I saw in issue 015 of Linux Voice, written by Nick Veitch (former editor of Linux Format magazine):

 

The world has been told repeatedly for the last 10 years that the "Internet of Things" is coming. Ever since the first web-enabled coffee machine, humanity has been secretly yearning for the day when our toasters can send us emails to tell us when they have popped up. I say secretly, because not many people realise how useful it will be to remotely control the temperature of their shower from anywhere in the world. Any lingering doubts have been quashed by Facebook's recent revelations that it will actually be running the IoT (http://goo.gl/ZLX86B). Well, that makes more sense. I can't wait to 'Like' my dishwasher finally getting that experimental lasagne off my cookware, and to de-friend the bathroom scales.

 

Preparing for every eventuality and future-proofing is one thing, but the additional overhead of putting a full TCP/IP stack, Wi-Fi drivers and more computing power than the Apollo space program into every lightswitch is going to drive up the costs somewhat, never mind the power requirements. I am unconvinced by the necessity of a Wi-Fi washing machine (http://goo.gl/Sxf578), and wonder how long it will be before some virus will remotely lock the door and refuse to let me have my socks until I PayPal $20 to an anonymous account. I wonder why I switched all the lighting in my house to LEDs (saving about 1 kWh per day) so all the extra ergs could go towards my toothbrush talking to my fridge.

 

It is easy to poke fun. There are useful protocols and useful things to be done. Just don't expect them to come from everyone who thinks you need to add the functional equivalent of a smartphone everything in your home. Especially not the drinks cabinet.

 

--JorgeA

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Okay, I'm officially old. This is the first I've heard of mass-produced remote-controlled skateboards. And I can't, for the life of me, think of a good reason for a mature adult to ride one except to tempt fate with a death wish.

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Okay, I'm officially old. This is the first I've heard of mass-produced remote-controlled skateboards. And I can't, for the life of me, think of a good reason for a mature adult to ride one except to tempt fate with a death wish.

Welcome to the club. :)

 

jaclaz

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The researchers found six vulnerabilities in the Tesla car and worked with the company for several weeks to develop fixes for some of them. Tesla distributed a patch to every Model S on the road on Wednesday....

 

Tesla has the ability to quickly and remotely deliver software updates to its vehicles. Car owners only have to click “yes” when they see a prompt asking if they want to install the upgrade.

 

But they also found that the car’s infotainment system was using an out-of-date browser, which contained a four-year-old Apple WebKit vulnerability that could potentially let an attacker conduct a fully remote hack to start the car or cut the motor. Theoretically, an attacker could make a malicious web page, and if someone in a Tesla car visited the site, could gain access to the infotainment system

 

Can anyone see the flaw here?!!!!

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The researchers found six vulnerabilities in the Tesla car and worked with the company for several weeks to develop fixes for some of them. Tesla distributed a patch to every Model S on the road on Wednesday....

 

Tesla has the ability to quickly and remotely deliver software updates to its vehicles. Car owners only have to click “yes” when they see a prompt asking if they want to install the upgrade.

 

But they also found that the car’s infotainment system was using an out-of-date browser, which contained a four-year-old Apple WebKit vulnerability that could potentially let an attacker conduct a fully remote hack to start the car or cut the motor. Theoretically, an attacker could make a malicious web page, and if someone in a Tesla car visited the site, could gain access to the infotainment system

 

Can anyone see the flaw here?!!!!

 

 

 

NO? lol :ph34r:

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Here's a good article that neatly summarizes the issues, and presents some additional IoT security threats.

 

It's not just your car that's hackable. Everything from home power to hospital drug pumps can crash on the Internet of risky things connecting up across the developed world.

 

The Food and Drug Administration warned recently that hackers could access Hospira's (NYSE:HSP) Symbiq Infusion System remotely through a hospital's network.

 

"This could allow an unauthorized user to control the device and change the dosage the pump delivers, which could lead to over- or under-infusion of critical patient therapies," the FDA said.

 

What if a remote attack stalled all the cars in Germany via a radio station? That question comes from Lars Reger, chief technology officer at the automotive business unit of NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ:NXPI), a maker of secure chips for mobile phone manufacturers such as Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), for the car industry and for other sectors.

 

"You can attack the entire fleet of a carmaker if you can find the general key, the weakness in software that enables you to enter all these devices," Reger said.

 

Security researchers in Spain last year reportedly discovered that it was possible to remotely exploit smart electricity meters in use there to shut down power to homes, change meter readings and cause problems on the power network. Before then, other researchers hacking smart meters were able to tell not only when someone was away — which could set up a homeowner for a burglary — but also what kind of appliances were running and even what TV show the people in the home were watching.

 

--JorgeA

 

 

 

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I am reminded of a story... I don't have a link. but it was on local news a few weeks ago.

 

Essentially, A radio station was playing some kind of siri voice command to disable mobile phones. (flight mode?)

 

A novel and utterly simple way to stop data / facebook from sending and receiving while driving.

 

"Hey Cortana, brick the phone" lol

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